Don’t delay your healthcare needs

An Open Letter to Our Community:

As our region and our nation continue to battle the extraordinary challenges associated with the Coronavirus, a very concerning trend is beginning to emerge. People are deferring their critical healthcare needs. We want to assure you that as we continue to battle this pandemic, our emergency, primary care and specialty care services remain open, accessible and, most importantly, safe for you.

In recent weeks, we have seen our emergency department visits dropping precipitously and we are very concerned. We are concerned that people who have symptoms associated with heart attack and stroke are taking pains to avoid going to the Hospital to seek treatment because they fear COVID. We want you to know that it is safe to come to Greenwich Hospital and any delay in care can have negative consequences.

Heart attacks and strokes do not stop occurring in the midst of a pandemic. Know that we stand ready and prepared to care for you if you experience life-threatening symptoms. Our Emergency Departments have separate care spaces for non-COVID patients to avoid exposing you. Measures are being taken at our front door to test patients before they even receive treatment.

We are also here to treat your routine care as well. Since the beginning of this ordeal, our Northeast Medical Group physicians have provided care through more than 90,000 telehealth visits. These visits are easy to set up on your phone and computer and will connect you directly with your physician. Yale Medicine is offering the same services as well.

There is no reason to delay being seen by our medical staff. We are here and ready to support you, so please do not forgo critical care because you fear exposure to the virus. The choice to ignore symptoms of serious disease, such as stroke or heart attacks, is a far more deadly one to make.

Sincerely, 

Norman G. Roth
Chief Executive Officer
Greenwich Hospital